This week the Catholic Church is commemorating the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, with Holy Week celebrations reaching their peak on Easter Sunday with the feast of the Resurrection.

Jesus’ ordeal starts with a kiss, the one given to him by Judas in the Gethsemane garden. It was a kiss given by one of his own disciples, who maybe had imagined a different outcome to his behaviour, but which eventually led to the Crucifixion of his master.

It is arguably the most well-known betrayal in history, and a story that still has so much relevance today, simply because disloyalty is so common in a day and age where unbridled ambition and selfishness are unfortunately common characteristics in so many of us.

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been countless times when people were betrayed by those who were their friends, their partners, many times their relatives too. People have betrayed for money, for power, for lust. And when this betrayal comes from someone in whom we have placed faith and trust, and to whom we have bared our soul, then this duplicity is excruciating.

But betrayal does not stop there. When an adult abuses his position to take advantage of a child under his protection, it is a kind of betrayal too. When we turn our backs to people in need, people who require special care and attention, it is a kind of betrayal too. When we ignore the cries of people in faraway lands who are suffering injustice, hatred and are in the middle of a war, it is a kind of betrayal too.

People have also been betrayed by politicians who promise one thing and, once they get the vote, they do the complete opposite. This betrayal might not hurt as much as personal sufferings one goes through at home or at the office. That it is shared collectively makes it more bearable. But it is still painful and leads to mistrust.

When we betray others, we are also betraying ourselves, our own sense of decency, our ability to love. One word that is used frequently these days is “empathy”, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Unfortunately, we expect others to empathise with us but, on the other hand, we are quite reluctant to empathise with them. If we were more open to other people’s suffering, there would be fewer instances of betrayal.

One problem is that many people who betray do not realise they are doing so. They are people who are so inward looking that they cannot understand that their behaviour or words are causing distress to others.

It is a known fact that most sociopaths are not violent people, but people whose actions fit in the profile of someone who is unfeeling and disregards others’ needs.

The unfortunate thing is that there seem to be too many of them around us these days.